If you had to guess which Android app is most popular among Android users, you’d probably guess that it’s Google Maps or maybe YouTube, right? Well, you would be wrong according to the App-Happy With Android report released by Nielsen today.

What’s the most popular app on Android? Facebook. Despite negative comments and ratings for the many iterations that have failed to satisfy Android users, Facebook is the most actively-used Android app among users 18 to 44. More than 80 percent of users in the 18-24 and 25-34 demographics have used the Facebook in the last 30 days; 77 percent of users 35-44 accessed Facebook. That bests all apps other than the Android Market (I don’t count that because it’s just a portal to get more apps and media content).

Nielsen’s chart shows that Google Search, Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube are universally the remaining of the Top 5 apps, though positioning varies slightly among the age groups. That trend of similarity continues for other apps popular across the board, including Angry Birds, Words With Friends, and the Amazon Appstore.

According to its announcement post, Nielsen defines app popularity by how much penetration it has among active users. The company reached these numbers by analyzing usage data on Android phones equipped with its monitoring software, and then ranked apps according to the percentage of users who accessed it within the past 30 days. Here’s a chart showing app popularity among the age groups.

7 Comments

Well I bet almost everyone has a Facebook account, and using this app on your mobile phone is the best way to keep your friends updated while on-the-go. My recent post ASUS Transformer Prime Release Date Still December 19, Delay Rumors Untrue

This just proves how uneducated and gullible people are. Advanced Task Killer should not be on this list, because it doesn't do anything except waste battery on 2.2+, but people still use it anyway because they think everything suspended in the background is actually running -.-

Try out my dad's predictive text application called hintkeys. It makes typing waaay more efficient. He worked really hard on it and wants to know what you think. It's very helpful if you use multiple languages, lots of short form words, or slang while typing

I have my own complains about the Facebook app and especially the problems that arise when updates are launched…still, everyone uses it. It's essential. My recent post Facebook for Android Market Application Review

Android’s most popular app is also one of its most-criticized. [App popularity by age group]